Machinery, apparatus, and equipment conventionally exist wherein, for example, multiple stands are provided such that plastic strapping or the like is automatically coiled upon a suitable core or mandrel, such as, for example, a hard cardboard reel. Upon completion of the strap coiling operation, each strap coil must necessarily be removed from the strap coiling machinery or equipment, and binding straps must then be placed around the strap coil at predetermined circumferential locations thereof so as to preserve the coiled integrity of the strap coil whereby the coil is effectively prevented from either circumferentially uncoiling or axially telescoping.
The strap binding operation is performed by an operator who must therefore remove a completed strap coil from a particular one of the multiple strap coiling stands, carry the completed strap coil to the strap binding stand, and place the strap coil upon the strap binding stand. Using a manual, hand-held strap tensioning and binding tool, and after manually placing a cardboard edge protector around the strap coil at a particular circumferential location thereof, the operator then uses the manual, hand-held strap tensioning and binding tool to tension, weld, and cut the binding strap. Subsequently, the strap coil is rotated so as to effectively circumferentially index the strap coil to a new circumferential position at which another binding strap is to be applied to the strap coil. Upon completion of the strap binding operation, the operator manually removes the bound strap coil from the strap binding stand and places the bound strap coil upon a pallet which may then be subsequently transported, for example, by suitable fork-lift apparatus for further processing prior to commercial distribution.
It is thus readily appreciated that the entire strap coiling and binding operation is quite labor-intensive, tedious, and fatiguing for the operator personnel. Accordingly, a need exists in the art for the development of automatic machinery, apparatus, or equipment which can automatically perform the various manual operations which were necessarily previously performed by strap coiling and strap binding operator personnel.